1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording method in which a protective layer of a transfer sheet is transferred to a printing material by heat of a thermal head and a thermal transfer recording apparatus which realizes the thermal transfer recording method.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the protective layer of the transfer sheet is transferred to the printing material by the heat of the thermal head, because the thermal head has irregularity by arranging a plurality of heating portions corresponding to a pixel, the irregularity is generated in the protective layer to lose glossiness. Therefore, there is known the technology in which the protective layer is transferred by using a line heater whose heating portion continuously extends across a length corresponding to the plurality of heating portions of the thermal head (Japanese Patent No. 3314980). Further, with reference to the technology concerning this matter, there is also known the technology in which a part of a heating resistor of the thermal head or a common electrode is flatly formed (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 63-20714).
However, in the technology of Japanese Patent No. 3314980, it is necessary that both the thermal head for image formation and the line heater for protective layer transfer are prepared in a printer, which results in fears of upsizing of the printer and increase in cost.